How Techstars and Antler compare on investment, equity, format, stage and timing. Every figure comes from the programs' own sites, verified November 4, 2026.
| Techstars | Antler | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | $220K | Not published |
| Equity | 5% | Not published |
| Deal terms | $220K: $20K for 5% common stock (post-money convertible equity agreement) + $200K uncapped MFN post-money SAFE | Varies by market: e.g. US $500K-$1M initial commitment; Singapore $100K for 10% plus $50K uncapped MFN SAFE; UK GBP125K for 8.5% |
| Format | Hybrid | In-person |
| Headquarters | Boulder, United States | Singapore |
| Stage | pre-seed, seed | idea, pre-seed |
| Sectors | general, ai, health, fintech, climate | general |
| Duration | 3 months | 6 weeks to 3 months depending on location |
| Application cycle | Program-specific; multiple programs run spring and fall cohorts | rolling, with multiple cohort starts per year by location |
| Next deadline | November 18, 2026 | Not published |
Investment is the full standard package; where part of it is an uncapped SAFE, the equity stake covers only the fixed part (see deal terms). Terms change; confirm on each official site before applying.
About
Global pre-seed investor founded in Boulder in 2006, running three-month, mentorship-driven accelerators in cities including Boston, Boulder, Chicago, New York, London and Tokyo, plus the remote Techstars Anywhere and corporate-partnered themed programs. Since 2025 its standard deal is $220K, and some programs, such as New York, now run in a hybrid format.
Notable alumni: SendGrid, DigitalOcean, ClassPass, PillPack
About
Global early-stage investor that runs in-person residencies where individual founders can meet co-founders and build a company before receiving pre-seed investment. It runs programs in about 30 cities across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Investment terms are set locally and differ by market.
Notable alumni: Lovable, Airalo, Peec AI
Key differences
More comparisons: Y Combinator vs Techstars · Y Combinator vs Antler · Techstars vs 500 Global · Techstars vs Alchemist Accelerator · Techstars vs MassChallenge · Techstars vs ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator) · Techstars vs gener8tor · Techstars vs Plug and Play Tech Center · Entrepreneur First vs Antler · Antler vs Founder Institute · Antler vs Startmate Accelerator · All comparisons
XRaze scores your fit against each program, drafts answers from your company profile and tracks every deadline. Start free with 50 credits, no card needed.